VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – This weekend, the Wings of the West mural trail in Volusia County will welcome a new addition featuring bats.
Artist Erica Group is set to reveal her newest mural at the D Ranch Preserve in Osteen on Saturday at 10 a.m.
This artwork will showcase human-sized wings of the Brazilian free-tailed bat, paying homage to a species native to Florida.
[PINIT! Have you snapped a photo with any of the wing murals in West Volusia County? Share your pictures with News 6! Here’s how]
Constructed from marine-grade plywood, this standalone mural introduces yet another photo-friendly pair of wings to the Wings of the West trail. This Volusia County attraction draws visitors from across the globe, eager to capture and share their moments with these artistic installations.
According to Group, the trail’s inception was sparked by a straightforward idea—a backdrop for a DeLand boutique’s employees to showcase clothing.
“We noticed when we posted photos of us employees wearing the clothes, those were the items that sold the best. People would come in specifically for those items,” Group remembered. “So we really made a point of doing that in the easiest way. To do that was either in the shop or right out the back doors of the shop was an alley. Used to be called Pill Alley, there was an old drug store on the block, which gave it that name forever ago, and now it’s since been renamed to Persimmon Lane.”
“One day, I thought, how cool would it be if there were wings behind me in this specific dress? So the owner of the boutique cam loved the idea,” she said.
The wings were meant to be a one-time thing. Group drew them in chalk, thinking the Florida rain would wash them away.
Except that didn’t happen. They lasted a few months. Meanwhile, people found the pictures online and came looking to take their own pics.
Eventually, the building owner asked Group to paint the wings permanently.
“Murals fell into my lap. I was not planning on any of this happening, but it’s very cool,” Group said.
Since then, thousands have come to take their pictures with the white angel wings.
Then in 2018, Visit West Volusia engaged Group to create the Wings of the West trail — a collection of wing murals at trails, preserves, and other popular west Volusia County locations.
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Skydive DeLand: A biplane mural
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Barberville Pioneer Settlement: Peacock feathers
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Cassadaga: Fairy Wings
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Lyonia Preserve: Scrubjay wings
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Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge: Swallow-tailed kite wings
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Downtown DeLand: The original angel wings, along with a set of mini-wings for children and pet pictures
“No one was really asking for mini wings,” Group said. “We were responding to a call and the dog wings are my favorites in front of the mini ones.”
The Visit West Volusia website has locations for all of the wings along the trail.
The bat wings at D Ranch Preserve will be the eighth mural on the trail.
Conservation Florida, which handles the preserve, says a local Boy Scout troop constructed a bat house for the winged mammals, who prefer buildings and other dry, dark structures to nest in. There are plans to erect more bat houses in the future.
The wings are located about halfway from the start of the trail to the bat houses, and Group said there’s a bench there too.
“One of the things I love about the originals that we tried to duplicate when possible with the others is that they are a bit of a scavenger hunt, and they’re not just like, here I am, look at me, with the original ones being in that less known alley, and the fairy wings are down a trail, and so are the swallow-tale kites,” Group said.
“These are kind of like tucked into a nook off of the trail. I’m not expecting it to really look like they erupted out of the ground or anything, but that they belong. Want to blend into their environment a little bit,” Group added.
The wings are a tribute to a native Florida species, but the timing of the unveiling isn’t lost on Group, with only a couple of weeks until Halloween.
Another Florida native will also likely be in bloom to enhance the beauty of the preserve.
“When we were out there scouting, they promised that the beautyberries would be in full bloom, which, based on the ones in my yard, they should be keeping that promise. They are in full swing. And there’s another purple flower that was on the cusp of blossoming,” Group said.
[WATCH: New nature preserve opens in Volusia County]
News 6 took viewers on a tour of D Ranch Preserve when Conservation Florida opened it in May.
The nearly 500-acre preserve in Osteen is a nature center and home to several native species, providing a place for outdoor lovers while also protecting Florida wilderness.
Conservation Florida has preserved more than 40,000 acres of land across the state and says D Ranch is just the beginning for the region.
The preserve is located at 2655 Reed Ellis Road in Osteen and is open daily to the public.
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